Definition and inclusion criteria
This includes, according to Johnson et al. (2000), all services that target the management of mental illness and of the clinical and social difficulties related to it. This definition excludes facilities not specialising in mental health care; it also excludes services which may be important for many mentally ill children and
adolescents but do not target their specific needs. Examples for this category are the following: child and adolescent psychiatric and psychotherapeutic departments, medical practitioners for child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychotherapists, social paediatric centres, hospitals for child and adolescent psychiatric/psychotherapeutic day care, child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient services.
Methods
Having defined the different categories of intervention, it was not feasible to attempt to map all categories across the four countries and only two categories - category 1 (prison-based interventions) and category 2 (interventions provided by community-based
specialised services) - were included in the exercise. A screening questionnaire for the identification of relevant interventions (C1) was distributed to the prisons. For the detailed mapping of identified prison-based interventions, a specific questionnaire was
devised: the “Mapping of Interventions Questionnaire” (MIQ-1)
(based on the ESMS) (see Table 13).
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Screening questionnaire C1
Aim: Identification of services providing prison-based interventions meeting the inclusion criteria
Content: Instructions with definition of relevant interventions General information about the service
Contact
Nature of intervention(s)
MIQ – 1 Mapping of interventions questionnaire
Aim: Detailed mapping of interventions Content: Instruction and inclusion criteria
Part I Information about the prison A) General information about the prison B) Contact information
C) Administrative structure of the prison D) Visits for families and children
E) Other contact F) Prison population G) Staff
H) Advertising of services/interventions
Part II Information about prison-based interventions for CoP To be completed for each relevant intervention:
A) General information about the intervention B) Target group
C) Frequency and duration of the intervention D) Aims of the intervention
E) Priority needs addressed by this intervention F) Evaluation
Methodology, continued Methodology, continued
Table 13
Instruments for prison-based specialised services
Screening questionnaire C1
Sample and Data Collection
UK
In the UK, the University of Huddersfield researchers wrote to the Governor of every prison establishment in England and Wales (n=135) requesting basic information about any family-related services or interventions provided by the prison. Letters were also sent to the Director of Offender Management and Custodial Manager at the eleven regional offices and high security estate to inform them of the mapping exercise. All establishments who did not respond to the initial letter were then telephoned and asked about relevant services/interventions. Of the 83 prisons that
responded, 80 were identified as delivering 206 interventions that met the inclusion criteria. In the UK, it was considered more
workable to use the MIQ1 as the basis for telephone interviews with prison staff, thus enabling the researcher to resolve any
misunderstanding about the type of information being requested. The NGO Partners of Prisoners (POPS) were able to secure the assistance of volunteers in administering the MIQ1. Volunteers attended a training session delivered by the University of
Huddersfield researchers. POPS contacted 36 prisons providing interventions, and obtained completed MIQ1s for 26 prisons providing 61 interventions.
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Methodology, continued Methodology, continued
Germany
In Germany the procedure of identifying interventions was quite similar. All Ministries of Justice in each of the 16 federal states were contacted for permission to investigate prisons. In order to screen for interventions meeting the defined criteria, all prisons, except youth attendance centres and remand centres, received forms via email to be completed re their prison based specialised
interventions as well as re community-based specialised services for the families of prisoners. All prisons stating that they would provide interventions meeting the mentioned criteria (N=68 out of 143 prisons) received the MIQ-1 with instructions per email.
Romania
In Romania, a formal request was sent by fax to all prisons that
had been identified. Permission from the National Administration of Penitentiaries was required. All prisons provided interventions
meeting the criteria (N=32 out of 32 prisons) and received the MIQ- 1 with instructions per email.
Sweden
In Sweden, initial information about interventions in prisons and remand prisons was found on the website of the correctional system (www.kriminalvarden.se). In the next step, researchers contacted the regional children’s ombudsmen (in every prison there is an ombudsman for children and for every region in
Sweden there is a person responsible for all the local ombudsmen in their region). The regional ombudsmen were asked to provide information about interventions in the prisons in their region. All prisons (N=83) received the MIQ-1 as an online version (SurveyXact) with instructions per email. All prisons but one responded directly into SurveyXact, one prison filled in the paper questionnaire and mailed it.
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Screening questionnaire C2
Aim: Identification of services providing prison-based interventions meeting the inclusion criteria
Content: Instructions with definition of relevant interventions General information about the service
Contact
Nature of intervention(s)
MIQ – 2 Mapping of services questionnaire
Aim: Mapping of interventions
Content: Instruction and inclusion criteria